JESUS WAS BURIED

John 19:31-42 / Keywords 19:38

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.

19:31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”[c] 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”[d]


The Burial of Jesus

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[e] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Footnotes
c. John 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20
d. John 19:37 Zech. 12:10
e. John 19:39 Or about 34 kilograms

1. As much as the Pharisees wanted Jesus crucified, they didn’t want him left there on the Sabbath. He was already dead, so no bones were broken, but the soldiers pierced his side. These were noted to show fulfillment of Scripture regarding the Messiah.

 

2. Later, we see that two prominent religious figures, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, took Jesus’ body. They gave Jesus a proper burial according to the Jewish customs. They were secret disciples of Jesus, coming out of their shells.

 

3. Even when it seems hopeless, God helps us find the strength to do something. Jesus’ death and burial were already leading to a resurrection in the lives of those who may have felt that they failed Jesus. It is never too late to do good and to seize the opportunity to do the right thing.

 

Prayer Lord, you died that we may find new life, even in the face of impenetrable darkness. May we not give in to the darkness.

One Word There is still hope